The Majority of Albertans Want to See the Province Take Climate Action | HuffPost

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Alberta is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Canada and the oilsands are the country's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing emissions from the industrial sector are the reason Canada will not meet its emissions reduction target under the Copenhagen Accord, according to Environment Canada.

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Managing Editor and Director of Research for DeSmog Canada

Managing Editor and Director of Research for DeSmog Canada

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Dan Barnes via Getty Images

Close-up aerial photo of an oil refinery in the Alberta Oilsands, near Fort McMurray.

A poll of more than 1,800 Albertans conducted by EKOS Research Associates shows more than half the population wants the province to take stronger climate action by introducing policies that limit carbon emissions.

The poll, commissioned by the Pembina Institute, also found 50 per cent of Albertans are in support of a broad price on carbon that would apply to both consumers and producers. Support for a price on carbon jumped by another 10 to 20 per cent if the money generated from the tax were to go towards carbon reducing technologies or projects.

Results also show a large portion of Albertans (66 per cent) want to diversify the province's economy rather than up the competitiveness of the oil and gas industry (29 per cent). Forty-eight per cent of Albertans who took the poll said they feel the oilsands are large enough or should be downsized.

"It's encouraging to see such strong support among Albertans for action on climate change," Simon Dyer, Alberta regional director for the Pembina Institute, said.

"This poll shows that the public is open to many of the solutions being considered, such as an economy-wide price on carbon pollution, or phasing out coal power and replacing it with renewables."

Albertans also expressed a sense of obligation to reduce the province's greenhouse gas output. Alberta is by far the largest emitter in Canada and the oilsands are the country's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing emissions from the industrial sector are the reason Canada will not meet its emissions reduction target under the Copenhagen Accord, according to Environment Canada.

It appears Albertans are taking their emissions profile to heart: the majority (56 per cent) said they feel Alberta must reduce emissions to address climate change while only 26 per cent disagreed.

In addition 70 per cent of participants said they want to see more investment in renewable energy sources in order to reduce the province's reliance on coal-fired electricity, a major source of Alberta's emissions.

"This has been a year in which Albertans defy stereotypes, with this poll being one more example," Frank Graves, president of EKOS, said.

"There is a large constituency in Alberta that wants to see the province be an environmental leader on issues like climate change and the development of the oilsands."

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ALSO ON HUFFPOST:

Celebrities Who've Visited The Alberta Oilsands

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio(01 of22)

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was in Fort McMurray this week researching for a documentary about the oil sands and climate change. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

(02 of22)

DiCaprio is the voice behind a four-part series that focuses on climate change challenges and solutions.The first part, "Carbon," explores how governments worldwide are putting a price on carbon through carbon trading or carbon taxes. (credit:Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Singer Neil Young(03 of22)

The singer cause quite a stir when his visited the oilsands earlier this year, survey developments by air. He compared what he saw with the disaster left by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. (credit:Didier Baverel via Getty Images)

(04 of22)

He went on to slam the Harper government, saying: "Canada is trading integrity for money. That's what's happening under the current leadership in Canada, which is a very poor imitation of the George Bush administration in the United States and is lagging behind on the world stage. It's an embarrassment to any Canadians." (credit:Richard Lautens via Getty Images)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu(05 of22)

The human rights leader visited the oilsands in May of this year. After a Suncor-sponsored flyover of some of the developments, Tutu called the area "filth." (credit:Invision for Starkey Hearing Foundation)

(06 of22)

"The fact that this filth is being created now, when the link between carbon emissions and global warming is so obvious, reflects negligence and greed," Tutu told more than 200 rapt attendees at a conference on oilsands development and treaty rights in Fort McMurray. "Oilsands development not only devastates our shared climate, it is also stripping away the rights of First Nations and affected communities to protect their children, land and water from being poisoned." (credit:Zak Hussein/PA Wire)

Director James Cameron(07 of22)

The Canadian director, director of the pro-environment film Avatar and many other blockbuster movies, visited the oilsands in 2010, as well as visiting with then-Premier Ed Stelmach. He was not vocally against the oilsands, but said “it will be a curse if it’s not managed properly.” (credit:Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

(08 of22)

“It can also be a great gift to Canada and to Alberta. I’m pragmatic enough to understand the powerful economic forces that are driving this development.” (credit:AP)

Actress Neve Campbell(09 of22)

Campbell toured the oilsands in 2008, and said she was "horrified by the pace and scale of development in the tar sands, and the weak response by our federal and provincial governments,” (credit:Getty Images)

(10 of22)

Campbell also backed Neil Young's fight to get major oil companies to respect Canadian First Nation treaties, by signing a letter of support for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. (credit:Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)

Robert Redford(11 of22)

Although he didn't techincally visit the Alberta oilsands, U.S. actor Robert Redford spoke out in a video last year, calling Alberta's oil "the dirtiest oil on the planet." (credit:Michael Tullberg via Getty Images)

Robert Redford(12 of22)

“Developing the Canadian tarsands is destroying our great northern forest at a terrifying rate. It is producing enough carbon pollution to wreak havoc with our climate for decades to come. And the pipelines that carry this toxic tarsands fuel are a direct threat to our own drinking water supplies.” (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Darryl Hannah(13 of22)

U.S. actor Darryl Hannah has also been a vocal opponent of the Alberta oilsands and has protested against various pipelines. She has even been arrested for blocking the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. (credit:Michael Buckner via Getty Images)

(14 of22)

She has called Alberta's oilsands an "atrocious environmental travesty." (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)

Singer Diana Krall(15 of22)

Diana Krall was the second act on Neil Young's Honour the Treaties tour. (credit:AP)

Fort McMurray, a.k.a. 'Oilsands City'(16 of22)

(credit:Creative Commons: Tallgirl)

Stunning Population Growth(17 of22)

Fort McMurray, Alberta, has seen its population grow from 926 in 1951, to more than 60,000 today -- a growth rate of 70,000 per cent over 60 years. The city grew by 14,000 people, or 29 per cent, in just the 2006 to 2011 period.Source: StatsCan (credit:HP)

Far More Men Than Women(18 of22)

Whereas in Alberta in general there are approximately 99 to 104 men for every 100 women, in Fort McMurray, where male-dominated oil jobs dominate, that ratio is skewed well towards men. There are 110 to 140 men for every 100 women in Fort McMurray, depending on the neighbourhood.Source: Kevin CorreiaThis caption has been corrected from an earlier version. (credit:Alamy)

Arm And A Leg For Housing(19 of22)

The average price of a two-bedroom apartment in April, 2011, was $2,152 -- comparable to major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver. For those rates to be affordable, you'd need to earn at least $80,000 per year. But given that oil workers can earn as much as $120,000, that is, actually, affordable by Fort McMurray standards.Source: Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality (credit:CP / Globe and Mail)

Third Largest Oil Reserves In The World(20 of22)

Fort McMurray sits at the centre of what is now recognized as the third-largest proven supply of oil in the world. Alberta has 170.8 billion barrels of oil in the ground, about 12 per cent of the world's total. By comparison, Saudi Arabia has 260 billion barrels, and Venezuela 211 billion. The oil sands' share of that total continues to grow, and with it, Fort McMurray's importance to the industry. The city is expected to quadruple in size, to about 231,000, within 20 years.Source: Government of Alberta (credit:CP)

Giant Job Machine(21 of22)

There are 140,000 people employed in Alberta's oil and gas extraction industry -- a very large number, considering the province's total population of 3.6 million. In all, energy counts for 23.4 per cent of Alberta's economy.Source: Government of Alberta (credit:CP)

Now That's Cold(22 of22)

Classified as a sub-Arctic zone, Fort McMurray is bitingly cold, even by Canadians' standards. The average night-time low in January is minus-24 Celsius, or minus-11 Fahrenheit, though the average daytime high in July does reach a decent 23 Celsius (73 Fahrenheit).Source: The Weather Network (credit:CP/Globe and Mail)

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